The Insecurities of a Warrior
by PK Reaper
Summary: Even he has his own insecurities eating away at his confident bravado. But as long as no one sees him mess up and falter, he'll be all right...


**The following takes place around the tenth cycle...**

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><p>The boy kept his eyes closed, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. He kept his feet flat and firm on the ground, and his sword pointed upwards. After taking another deep breath, the boy opened his eyes, assumed a battle position, and gave himself a running start as he attempted to do a front flip without dropping his sword.<p>

When he flipped, he dropped his sword along the way. The boy huffed in frustration as he picked up his sword, stood firmly again, and attempted to perform the stunt again.

This was such a basic move, he saw all the other warriors of Cosmos do it. It was a way to dodge _and _proceed to attack if a Chaos warrior tried to land a blow. And yet he couldn't do it. He, the boy known as the Onion Knight.

He felt stupid, and honestly felt thankful no one else was here to watch him. He couldn't afford to let these other grown-up warriors see him like this. He wanted to prove he was young, but he wasn't entirely weak or useless. He had to master this move, at least. Then he could fight gallantly without anyone even thinking, _That kid? He's way too young to fight!_

"Here goes," the boy mumbled to himself. After a silent count to three, he ran forward, flipped-

-and his sword dropped, and his helmet came off.

"Ugh!" he rose to his feet again, snatching his helmet and practically slamming it on his head. He snatched up his sword, ignoring the urge to start kicking and screaming in frustration. He took a deep breath. He was a warrior. He had to think like a grown-up. He didn't have time to act like a petulant child.

Once again, the boy took a deep breath, ran forward, flipped-

-and collided right smack into someone.

He let out an 'oof!' as he fell on his hands and knees, his sword plopped down beside him. Shaking his head, the boy looked up to apologize, only to see a hand outstretched, preparing to help him up. Curious, the boy looked up to see the kind eyes of his fellow comrade, Cecil Harvey. He didn't don his Dark Knight armor today, instead he was in his Paladin clothes, so the boy could see his face without getting slightly intimidated by the Knight's armor. It seemed a bit...monstrous to him, though he would never admit that.

"Are you all right?" Cecil asked in his usual soft, kind voice as the boy took his hand and was pulled to his feet, "Forgive me. I did not intend to bump into you."

"That's okay," the boy shook his head, then quickly corrected himself, "Uh, I mean, that's...quite all right!" Cecil was a knight, and the boy knew he had to practice speaking like a true warrior instead the way he usually did. He dusted himself off, and bowed, "I-was just practicing dodging, and I had no intention you would be-!"

"Relax," Cecil chuckled, "forgive _me_. I was simply traveling, and when I turned the corner, you just happened to bump into me. I should not have been so forward."

The young man looked around, then furrowed an eyebrow in curiosity, "But...why exactly are you by yourself?" he inquired.

Aw, darn. The last thing the boy wanted was for someone to baby him. The boy rose to his full height and even boosted up on his tiptoes, looking taller than he normally was. He rose his head up high and proudly proclaimed,

"I don't-uh, I mean-I _do not _need anyone to fight alongside me. I fight on my own. I can take _anyone_ on!"

Cecil regarded him for a few moments, then nodded, a knowing smile on his face, "But of course. But do you not think it wise to travel with someone so you do not get lonely?"

"I..." the boy paused. _Darn, think of somethin' to say!_

He cleared his throat, and deepened his voice somewhat as he tried to sound mature,

"I do not wish to endanger the lives of my fellow comrades! I travel to dangerous territories and won't-_would not _-want to endanger everyone else!"

"Very well, then. I understand your point," Cecil nodded once more, chuckling a bit.

"Um, allow me to show you my progress! Step aside, please!" the boy's mind was shouting _NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?, _but he felt he had to keep up this bravado. He didn't want anyone thinking he was just a weak kid. No one.

"Of course," Cecil moved aside, watching as the boy ran a good distance away from him, stopped, and took a deep breath.

_Here goes. Gotta get it right this time,_ the boy thought. Counting to three, he ran faster than he did before, prepared to flip-

-and he lost his balance, tripped, dropped his sword, his helmet fell off and he tumbled twice, eventually landing flat on his face. He let out a groan, and didn't even bother trying to get up. Hiding his face in this dirt was better than facing a grown-up warrior of Cosmos, who would probably tell everyone else what a big joke he was.

The boy heard Cecil call out his name in concern, then he heard footsteps running to him. He felt himself being pulled up and he finally met Cecil's worried eyes.

"That was quite a fall! Are you all right?" Cecil didn't try to conceal his concern. He widened his eyes at the sight of the boy's nose, which was bleeding.

"You are bleeding!" he exclaimed, and before he could attempt to help, the boy snatched his arm away from Cecil, turning away as he shouted,

"I'm fine, don't worry about me! I-I just slipped, that's all! I'll take care of myself, you should start heading to Sanctuary to meet the others!"

"I will not leave you behind," Cecil's voice was firm, "you need help and I will do whatever I can to-!"

"-I don't need anyone to baby me! I'm not just some _kid_! I'm a warrior, a fighter, a _soldier_!" the boy exclaimed, hating the ashamed and frustrated tears that blurred his vision. He picked up his fallen sword and tried to walk away. He stopped when he heard Cecil proclaim,

"But you are still a human being, are you not?"

Slowly, the boy wiped his eyes, and turned to face the young man. Cecil continued,

"You are right about one thing. You don't need anyone to...baby you, as you say. However, even grown-ups have friends that help them. I see you are injured, and I wish to help you. Not to baby you, but simply because you are my friend."

The boy couldn't bring himself to reply. Swallowing down his urge to cry, he wiped his nose, and winced at the sight of blood on his hand. Clearing his throat, he mumbled,

"I...I guess I could use some help..."

And with that, he began walking towards Cecil.

_Friends, huh? That doesn't...sound so bad..._

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><p><strong>I am not proud of this piece much at all. XDDD I adore Cecil, and can only find it logical that he would be the one to console an insecure Onion Knight. Sorry if the Onion Knight is slightly OOC. When I played through his Story Mode, I often wondered about his insecurities battling beside adults such as Cloud or Lightning or Bartz. Everybody has to have some insecurities, so I figured why not the Onion Knight? Feedback's appreciated once more! <strong>


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